Various liquid level control devices and systems have been described in the prior art and widely used in different households, hotels and other institutions. Some of these systems sound an alarm signal when the liquid reaches a certain level while other systems operate on mechanical liquid level relief principles. Regardless of the control mode, the purpose is to assure safety of the person in a bathtub by alerting such person of the safety level of the liquid, and prevent damage to the floor which may result from liquid overflow.
One bath water level control system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,444 issued to Wily Orszullok on Mar. 31, 1981. That system is designed for exterior installation relative to the bathtubs and includes a probe or detecting means which is vertically adjustable on the exterior wall of the tub. When the water reaches a predetermined level, the probe emits a signal which activates a device to turn off the inflowing water and/or trip an alarm.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,728 issued to Akintunde O. Wesey on Dec. 28, 1999 describes a water level detection and alarm device used for bathtubs. The device comprises a housing which is secured to the interior surface of the tub and includes a float and water level alarm system which sounds an alarm when the water level in the tub reaches a predetermined level.
A tub alarm apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,160,482 issued to Timothy W. Hill on Dec. 12, 2000. The alarm apparatus described therein includes a suction cup for secured to the wall of the bathtub. An alarm housing is attached to the top of the suction cup and an alarm system is located within the alarm housing. A float is supported by the alarm housing for activating the alarm when the water in the bathtub reaches a predetermined level.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,480,113 B1 issued to David W. Esposito on Nov. 12, 2002 describes a water level alarm system which comprises a housing, a float, a battery compartment, a speaker and an alarm. The housing is secured to the sides of the water container and the float rises with the water and when it reaches a certain level it makes contact with two separate conductors to complete a circuit and sound an alarm.
Thus, even though there are several prior art systems in use for controlling liquid levels in containers, most commonly in bathtubs, such systems are generally complicated to install and/or difficult to construct and operate.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a liquid level alarm system which is simple to construct, install and operate.
It is another object of this invention to provide a water level control system for bathtubs which is capable of signaling when the water level in the bathtub reaches a certain predetermined level thus alerting the user to shut-off the flow of water into the tub.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an automatic liquid level detection system for bathtubs and similar containers, which interrupts or reverses the inflow of water automatically when it reaches a predetermined unsafe or undesirable level in the bathtub or the container.
Other features of the present invention will be more fully comprehended and appreciated from the ensuing detailed description which must be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.